BlogJuly 23rd - August stWe
are dedicating our blog to Indie Theatre Week. For 10 days we host a
different community member each of whom address the question "Why Indie
Theatre?" See guest bloggers below. Check it out .

Every
day, more people are using their phones to get information and make
purchase related decisions. Will they find your show? Will they engage
with you and purchase tickets? Will they share your project information
with others?

When you're not producing, registering, performing in, or judging shows, please stop by FULL OF IT!

Community Corner

HAPPENINGS, EVENTS & ISSUES

AFFECTING OFF-OFF-BROADWAY

OOB Audience SurveyThe
Innovative Theatre Foundation is conducting the fourth part of our OOB
research project. This study focuses on OOB Audiences. If you are an OOB
Audience member, please take the survey today. If you have a production that will be performing in the next few months, we could use your help. Please email us at info@nyitawards.com.

$20 Million cut from NEA in 2012

Americans
for the Arts reports that on July 14th, the House Appropriations
Committee passed their initial FY2012 Interior Department funding bill,
which contains a $20 million cut to the NEA. Send a message to your Members of Congress and let them know how important the arts are to you.

For
details about these and other important activities affecting OOB and to
see how you can help and get involved, check out the Community Corner.

On
June 27th Charles Busch was honored with the 2011 Luminary Award from
the Innovative Theatre Foundation. Busch's muse, longtime friend and
collaborator Julie Halston presented the award that recognizes an
Off-Off-Broadway (OOB) alumnus who has reached eminence in their field
and is an inspiration to others.

Halston regaled the audience
with hilarious stories of performing with Busch in a "crack den" in the
village. However she was quite sincere when she said, "Charles Busch is
the most talented person I have ever known."

As a theatre major
at Northwestern University, Busch was troubled by the fact that he was
not getting cast. In a recent interview for Primary Stages, Busch
recalls thinking, "Wow, if I'm not being cast in university theatre, I
may have a hard time with it in real show biz." Finding inspiration in
the experimental theatre of the 1970's, Busch was especially drawn to
Charles Ludlum who's Play-House of the Ridiculous and the Ridiculous
Theatrical Company were breaking theatrical molds. "That showed me that a
theatrical experience could be whatever I choose it to be. It didn't
have to be just commercial theatre" says Busch. So he began to write,
creating characters that he wanted to play. In the introduction to The
Tale of the Allergist's Wife, he wrote, "I started out as a performer
who needed lines to say and, through necessity, grew to be a writer."

As
an OOB alumnus, Busch knows the challenges that face artists in this
sector. Busch was one of the founders of the legendary OOB company
Theatre in Limbo in 1984, where he honed his skills on such plays as Sleeping Beauty or Coma and Psycho Beach Party. It was the Theatre in Limbo's production of Vampire Lesbians of Sodom
that first propelled Busch into the limelight. While he has achieved
great success, he continues to be a part of the OOB community. He was
the first host for the Innovative Theatre Awards in 2005, celebrating
the Off-Off-Broadway community and his roots. His productions of Shanghai Moon (1999) and The Divine Sister
(2010) both premiered at the OOB house, Theatre for a New City. His
dedication, generosity and numerous talents continue to be an
inspiration to his fellow artists.

"I'm enormously touched to be
recognized by the Innovative Theatre Awards," says Busch. "From the
beginning, my career has taken me on a twisted and frequently
fascinating back road. I'm delighted if my experience has in some way
illuminated that path for young artists to travel."

Busch's most recent work, Olive and the Bitter Herbs premiers at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters, July 26th - September 3rd. Get your tickets now .

Read Shay's story about producing Psycho Beach Party in Salt Lake City.

_____________________

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